How to Clean When You Have a Bed Bug Infestation
If you have untreated bed bugs in your home, they will eventually spread to every room. Bed bugs will not just be around your bed – including the mattress headboard and box spring – they will also spread furniture, clothing, and other belongings. For many years, this has led to the advice that in order to get rid of a bed bug infestation, you need to throw out any items that may have become infested.
In addition to being an expensive proposition, this is also usually not an effective way to get rid of bed bugs on its own. But if you can take some time to perform a few cleaning tasks, it will be possible to remove lingering bugs, help keep a bed bug infestation under control, and preserve your belongings.
Saving Items from Bed Bugs
Although it will be nearly impossible to clean your way to a bed bug-free home, cleaning can help manage the problem until you are able to receive more advanced pest control and remove the need to throw away any items that you find bed bugs on. It can also remove bed bugs from items if you pick them up while traveling. There are a variety of different cleaning methods that you can use, including:
- Washing Machine – Laundering anything that can be washed will help get bugs off of it. Use the hot water setting since the heat will kill bugs. This works well for clothing, sheets, stuffed toys, and curtains.
- Dryer – If you have clothing or other cloth items that are dry clean only, running them through the dryer for 30 minutes on high heat can kill bed bugs and remove them from the fabric.
- Steam Cleaner – A commercial steam cleaner can be effective in killing bed bugs. You should set the temperature 130 degrees and apply the steam to any furniture, curtains, crevices around baseboards, and other spaces where bed bugs can be. Go slowly so the steam has time to penetrate and the bugs receive enough exposure to kill them.
If bed bugs have already been introduced to your home, bed bug control in NYC from 24 Hour Pest Control can kill the bed bugs on your property with safe and eco-friendly methods that will protect your belongings from any damage. Contact us to learn more about affordable bed bug control in NYC and solutions for keeping your home safe and clean.
